The First Gongsheng of Ming Dynasty

Coastal city.

In Xie Qian's temporary residence, the family has settled down and is living happily together.

Xie Qian had recently sent his son Xie Pi back to the capital to let him take the examination for the title of Shujishi. However, because Xie Pi missed the examination, he missed the opportunity to enter the Hanlin Academy. However, Xie Pi still observed politics in the Ministry of Rites, which was considered as his formal entry into the court.

That day, Xie Qian received a letter from the capital, and his face looked bad all day. It was not until dinner time that Xie Zheng returned home and heard his father's reaction, and then he came to his temporary study... a room that didn't look big.

The room was filled with books, but unlike before when all of them were books of sages, this time there were many more practical books in Xie Qian's study, some of which were written by Zhang Zhou, and some were more like reading notes.

"Father." Xie Zheng stood at the door and didn't dare to go in.

Xie Qian said: "Dazhong, it's none of your business. Your father just wants to be quiet for a while."

Xie Zheng didn't listen to him, and walked in and said, "I heard that father received a letter today, and has been sitting at home all the time. Today should be your day off, so I shouldn't ask too much, but if there is something, you can tell me, and I can share your worries."

"You don't understand." Xie Qian said, "There's some chaos in the capital. The court wants to conduct a strict investigation into the treasury deficits of the past few years. They've used the excuse of investigating the mines to start this investigation. Many court officials have been convicted and will be convicted soon. Some will have their property confiscated or even be exiled here."

Hearing this, Xie Zheng nodded and said, "Father is right to worry about the country and the people. Are you afraid that someone will wrongfully imprison you?"

In fact, Xie Zheng couldn't see through it.

Our family is in this situation. You are a criminal and are here to be reformed. If others are corrupt and committing crimes, you can let the court investigate. What does this have to do with us?

Xie Qian sighed, "I am not afraid of wrongful imprisonment, because when I was in the court, I knew that many things had already happened, but I just didn't have time to stop them."

"what?"

Now Xie Zheng is totally helpless.

Xie Qian handed the letter on the table to Xie Zheng to read. Xie Zheng glanced at it and immediately seemed to understand the distress in his father's heart.

Although Xie Qian is no longer in the core power class, and even the person who wrote to him was not Liu Jian and Li Dongyang, or even an official above the rank of assistant minister, but just a former disciple of Xie Qian, the letters still regarded Xie Qian as the leader of the civil officials in this court, and asked Xie Qian to "set things right."

Of course, in their view, the so-called chaos is not caused by corrupt officials, but by those who come forward to "make trouble".

"Father, this matter has nothing to do with you." Xie Zheng said after reading it, "You are no longer in Beijing. Even if you want to help, you can't pass on the message. Besides, why should I look for you for such a matter?"

Xie Qian said: "It may be because, in the past, I was in charge of many matters in the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Works. I know many people well. They want me to come out and appeal for justice."

Xie Zhengdao: "Among those being investigated now, are there any innocent people?"

This time Xie Qian shook his head helplessly: "Although I don't know what they have done specifically, but I guess if I were to investigate this case without any emotion, I would start with these people. Many of them are very extravagant in Beijing, and they are good at socializing."

Xie Zhengdao: "That's it. You have no obligation to protect them now, nor do you have the ability. You are just an outsider. Besides, we can't even take care of our own affairs, so how can we care about them? Father, there are rumors in the city recently that the fleet that went out to sea will be back in one or two months, and this year's autumn grain will soon be stored in the warehouse. It's a busy time, you can't..."

"That's fine."

Xie Qian seemed to be finally relieved and sighed, "I am not capable enough to help them, so I will not think about these things anymore. It is too tiring. Dazhong, come to think of it, I am a little hungry."

……

……

Xie Qian finally let go of his worries and had a meal with his son.

There are no outsiders either.

The father and son ate with great relish, and after they finished, their family members helped them clean up the dishes.

"We've transferred another person here. He helps out in the kitchen usually, and there's not too much to do in the backyard. It's pretty good." Xie Zheng seemed somewhat pleased when he said this.

After settling down in Binhai City, it seemed that it didn't matter whether I was guilty or not.

All the family members are together, except for the second younger brother's family who is seeking to become an official in Beijing. Originally, the younger brother was adopted out. Now the family lives in harmony and has found a sense of home in Binhai City.

In the past, Xie Qian seldom went home. It was difficult for him to take care of his family as he held a high position. Although Xie Qian is still working now, it is more like retirement. After all, Xie Qian is no longer a front-line person, but a manager without an official rank, directing the people below to do things.

He could rest for two days every ten days, and Xie Zheng's work in Binhai City was getting on track, and he even began to get involved in some core affairs.

As the father and son's positions were promoted, Binhai City also provided them with a porter and a maid. With someone to help take care of the house, their life began to improve.

Xie Qian said: "Do you think this place is nice?"

At this moment, Xie Qian was holding a tea bowl in his hand, and he felt very relaxed. However, he felt that he should be the kind of person who cares about the country and the people, and should not live a loose life.

Xie Zhengdao: "In Binhai City, many positions are not available in the imperial court. There are very few people with official rank, but what we actually have to do is for the country and the people. This place is like a garrison. Father has been here for almost a year. Haven't you felt the changes here?"

"There are some changes..."

Xie Qian sighed, "Now when I go out for a walk again, I find that it is very different from when I first came here. At that time, I felt that this place was like an unreal city, and now it looks... even more unreal."

Xie Zheng smiled and poured tea for his father. "Father, you can also feel the changes here. Everyone here is full of energy. Today I went to the port for business. After walking around, I saw the newly built big ship... Father, guess what? I saw a ship made of steel."

"What?" Xie Qian frowned, "A ship made of iron? Can it... float?"

Xie Zhengdao: "It's the same as an ordinary ship. The hull is just the outer layer. It is said to be welded together. I don't understand the specific reason, but it must be much stronger than wood. It seems to be more durable at sea."

"That's true." Xie Qian sighed, "I'm old, and I don't understand many things."

"It's not that you don't understand, father. It's that no one in the world understands. Even the experienced shipbuilders of the Ming Dynasty have never come into contact with this kind of ship before. A ship is made entirely of steel and coated with a layer of something called paint. It is said that this can slow down rusting. After the ship goes to sea, it is more solid and durable. You can even build some cannons on the ship and it can carry more."

Xie Zheng was talking about his discovery.

Xie Qian, however, seemed to be losing interest as he listened. It was obvious that at his age, he had lost interest in new things.

I have been a conservative person all my life, and even after experiencing the ups and downs of more than half a year, it is difficult for me to change my mentality for a while.

"How's home lately? Why haven't I seen Junnu in these few days?" Xie Qian is now somewhat concerned about his children and grandchildren.

But I haven't seen my granddaughter for many days.

Xie Zhengdao: "Didn't you tell father? I'm living in the school dormitory now. The girls' school has added more courses recently. But I heard... Alas!" "What can't you say?" Xie Qian frowned, thinking that his son was hiding something from him.

Xie Zheng sighed, "It's nothing, actually. It's just that Zheng Bo brought his sister to Binhai City and has been in the city recently."

"Why is he here?" Xie Qian frowned and asked, "Was this arranged by Bin Zhi?"

"It shouldn't be." Xie Zheng said, "Zheng Bo and his sister have been very low-key since they came to Binhai City. It is said that they came with a study tour group. Many young people came with them. Some of them are promoting the study of the mind and teaching students in the city, while others are here to do work. The city is recruiting people every day, especially scholars. As long as they are open-minded, they can find jobs in Binhai City and the salary is not bad."

"Ok?"

Xie Qian frowned.

The arrival of Li Zhaoxian and Li Yu, brother and sister, made Xie Qian feel that things were not that simple.

Because he was familiar with Li Dongyang's character, it was impossible for Li Dongyang, while still in a high position, to allow his children to condescend to come to a place like Binhai City, or even participate in the construction of Binhai City.

In Li Dongyang's opinion, everyone in Binhai City was a group of weirdos... Even after Xie Qian moved to Binhai City, Li Dongyang had never sent him a letter.

Of course he knew that Li Dongyang was avoiding suspicion, but he also knew that Li Dongyang also looked down on the people here, even if he was Xie Qian.

Xie Zhengdao: "I have also seen young scholars come here to serve, but from what I have seen, even if they have studied the writings of sages, it is very difficult for them to truly integrate into this place. Therefore, many people here do not stay for long. If they do not know how to learn and cannot adapt to the skills used here, they will leave after about one or two months."

Xie Qian sighed, "They can't stand the hardship here."

Xie Zheng smiled and shook his head, "Working here is actually not hard at all. The hard work is done by others. Just like your father, do you think your job is hard?"

"That's enough." Xie Qian stretched out his hand to interrupt his son and said, "Those two girls used to meet each other often, so it's okay to meet them now. But now their identities and status are very different, so don't let Jun Nu suffer any grievances."

Xie Zhengdao: "No, the girl from the Li family is kind to others and she is sincere in taking care of Junnu."

"Yes." Xie Qian nodded and said, "Then let Junnu come back more often. What about the girls' school... I am always worried. The most important thing is that the family is together. I don't expect Junnu to come out to support the family in the future. She should do what she should do and learn something. She will still be a wife and a mother in the future. The descendants of my Xie family cannot be gossiped about."

Xie Zheng nodded and said, "Don't worry, father. I understand all this and I won't let the girl suffer."

……

……

Zhang Zhou first went to the iron mine in Yongping Prefecture, and then went to Binhai City.

When we arrived in Binhai City, it was already the eighth day of September, and the Double Ninth Festival was coming soon.

In this era, the Double Ninth Festival was a very important festival, and on the day he entered the city, Ning Tong and Huang Zhao came out to greet him. He and Ning Tong rode in a carriage into the city.

He was relatively low-key when entering the city and did not tell anyone. The first thing he did after entering the city was to go to the port, where there were new drawings that needed to be modified. Zhang Zhou came here this time to take the opportunity to solve the problem. After all, he usually stays in the capital, and no matter what happens here, only he, the chief planner, knows how to correct it.

And many things require his personal supervision before they can be completed.

Inside the shipyard.

The shipbuilding engineer Gong Yeping appeared in front of Zhang Zhou wearing a huge helmet.

This bad friend, whom Zhu Houzhao met when Zhang Zhou was transferred to Nanjing and Zhu Houzhao went south, has now grown into an important backbone of the shipyard. Among the three brothers Gong Yeping, Hu Feng and Sun Che, he has developed the best.

Only he was exposed to the actual technical links and gradually moved from the technical links to the management backbone, while the other two... were just average.

"Master, the newly built steel ship has been launched, but it encountered many problems after launching. Now the craftsmen are still repairing it overnight, and some have not slept for several days and nights."

"And the water pumps, the ones that use human power are not good, the ones that use water for heating are prone to leaks, and they need major repairs after being used for a few days at a time."

"Look at this drawing again. Something went wrong during the smelting process. The temperature was too high. There were impurities in the molten iron. We couldn't get rid of them. Maybe there was something wrong with the previous batch of ore."

……

Gong Yeping finally found someone who could solve the problem, and he told Zhang Zhou all the problems he was facing.

At this time, Zhang Zhou could only leave Ning Tong aside.

Afterwards, Zhang Zhou and Gong Yeping boarded the ship to check the scene.

Huang Zhao stood at the harbor, watching the sunset. She seemed to be feeling a lot of emotion, but she didn't dare to reveal too much in front of Ning Tong, because she knew very well that the woman in front of her was a young mistress no matter what, and she could easily be influenced by others.

"Hey."

Ning Tong walked over and said hello, "I haven't seen you these few days, and you didn't send me the account book I asked you to show me."

"Yes...I forgot." Huang Zhao quickly apologized, "I'll send it to you later."

"You don't have to be so polite." Ning Tong said, "I haven't paid much attention to business matters recently. I have a lot of free time."

Huang Zhao said, "You have a distinguished person who needs to accompany you. I will take care of the rest."

This refers to Ning Tong's usual task, which is to accompany Concubine Xian to relax. Of course, Concubine Xian cannot go out casually, and usually stays in the palace to rest and take care of her pregnancy.

Now Concubine Xian is already seven or eight months pregnant and will soon be giving birth.

Ning Tong smiled and said, "You are so capable, you should have a bright future. I don't know why he didn't take you in earlier."

"I dare not have any unrealistic thoughts." Huang Zhao said hurriedly.

"Okay." Ning Tong said, "When you have time, come over to my place. It's too boring where you live. Even if we can just have a meal and talk together, it's fine. Doing so many things all the time... it's too tiring."

At this moment, Ning Tong truly felt the joy of being a woman. It was a kind of peaceful life, as if there was hope, but also a life that seemed too comfortable.

To her, it seems she is quite content.

Even the desire for fame and fortune seemed to have been put aside. (End of this chapter)